A Change of Fate
by Kiera27
Summary: Harry Potter/FFVIII - He had enough, none of them cared about him, they only wanted him to take care of the problems that they created. He was done, he begged Magic to take him somewhere else, somewhere where he could be himself. She answered. Harry/male
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the Final Fantasy games or movies.**

**I'm starting this new story on request though with the way life has been treating me lately my updates will probably suffer a bit, I apologize. I will try to update all of my stories the moment that I get enough typed out.**

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I thought that after I defeated Voldemort that everything would be right in my life and I would finally be able to relax and live my life the way that I wanted to without everyone telling me how it should be. I can freely admit that that was one of the most foolish ideas that I have ever harbored. I should have known that the wizarding world would never be able to let me free from the leash that they had spent so much time winding around my neck.

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I lost everything that I loved in their war against the megalomaniac that they created with their prejudices. I found an older brother in Cedric only to lose him at the end of that pointless tournament. I lost the closest thing I had to a father in Sirius that horrible night at the Ministry and lost Remus to his grief shortly there after. You would think that that would be more then enough pain for any one person but no, I just had to be special even in that regard.

I had taken to walking around the castle at night after the nightmares that plagued me ruined any chance of getting back to sleep and one night I ran across one of the unused classrooms that was filled with voices that I could identify from a mile away. I huddled under my cloak near the door and listened as the last shred of faith that I had in the wizarding world was ripped from me.

"I don't know why Dumbledore is still making us be that little attention seeking brat's friends. He should just throw the idiot at Voldemort and be done with it; then all his money will be ours and we'll be the famous ones." Ron's voice stopped my heart in my chest with the sheer venom it contained. "The only thing that he does anymore is whine about that disgusting godfather and the werewolf."

Hermione's voice was filled with just as much venom with a good dose of disgust. "I know, but we have to keep stringing him along until he defeats He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Hopefully he'll die in the battle and even if he doesn't Dumbledore already has plans to make sure that he ends up that way. If I had known what a brat he was I wouldn't have agreed to this whole thing before first year though. He gets us into trouble every year and he almost got us killed but it shouldn't be much longer before all of his money and power belongs to us."

I could almost literally feel my heart shatter as I listened to the people that I thought of as family talk about me like I was some kind of disgusting task that they were forced to deal with. I buried my pain as deeply as I could and acted like nothing was wrong the next day as I planned my 'escape'. It took very little effort on my part to act like the depressed teen that I was and gradually drift away from them while taking secret pleasure in the disappointment in Dumbledore's eyes as he looked at the two little traitors. Without them around to either distract me or to do the work for me I found that I enjoyed curling up in the corner with a good book and I devoured any and every book that I could get my hands on, even the ones in the Restricted Section of the library. Eventually I ended up relying on the Room of Requirement to provide new material.

The final battle was sudden and completely unexpected, even Dumbledore was surprised when one day Voldemort and his entire army of Death Eaters showed up at the castle without the slightest bit of warning and started cursing anything in sight. Unfortunately Hagrid had been teaching his class which was a second year one and he was taken down as he defended the children who barely managed to make it back to the castle in their panic.

What ensued was one of the longest and bloodiest battles in the history of wizarding kind, though I'm sure that goblins would be unimpressed. Many students lost their lives to the Death Eaters as they valiantly tried to defend those younger then themselves although I noticed that two students were mysteriously absent from the struggle entirely. Many young witches and wizards along with the teachers and staff members lost their lives that day. Trelawney turned out to be an excellent dueler as she took several members of Voldemort's inner circle down with her before she threw herself in front of a killing curse that had been aimed at Lavender that the girl hadn't even seen coming. McGonagall was in rare form as she spun and twirled leaving many of the combatants on both sides in awe before Voldemort himself overcame her defenses though she managed to take out over a dozen Death Eaters before he did so. Even Snape fought tooth and nail to protect the students that he sneered at on a daily bases and turned his wand on those he had probably considered friends at one point or another. It was Lucius that took his down right before he turned his wand on himself and took his own life without the slightest of hesitation.

The one death that I could honestly say that I was not at all upset about was when Dumbledore decided that as one of the greatest wizards of all time he would be more then a match for an old student. Perhaps he wished to gain the fame associated with defeating a Dark Lord once more or perhaps he was seeking absolution for his mistakes in leaving young Tom Riddle in that orphanage so long ago, I do not know nor will I ever know. The duel became the center focus of the battle and many stopped mid curse to watch the proceedings. It was awe inspiring to see two of the greatest wizards battle each other with such fire, though it was a foregone conclusion as to who would come out victorious for all those with enough sense to watch carefully. Dumbledore was certainly no longer of the proper age to engage in such a heated duel with someone half his age and it showed in his slightly slower reaction time and his breathing which became heavy far quicker then his opponent. His true downfall was the fact that he would not resort to the Dark Arts while Voldemort held back nothing from his arsenal. The curse that brought the great Albus Dumbledore down was the one that still woke me up at night, the killing curse. The cry that left the defenders of the castle was one that spoke of defeat as the battle immediately turned sharply in the Dark's favor.

I took down any Death Eater that was foolish enough to get in my way as I made my way slowly but surely through the crowd toward my ultimate goal. I was not concerned about the state of the wizarding world or even the defense of the castle as I struggled to reach the man that took so much from me, the only thought on my mind was the fact that I wanted him to pay for everything he had done, for all of the pain that he cause me.

When I finally managed to reach him the battlefield quieted once more as every combatant watched as the sadistic smile crossed his serpentine features. "Ah, if it isn't the famous Boy-Who-Lived, what can I do for you?"

"Well Tommy, to be perfectly blunt the only thing you could do that would bring me joy is drop dead, but since I doubt that you will be so kind I'll take some time out of my intensely busy schedule to help you along." The look on the man's face could have melted the paint off of a car as he shot a curse at me that was designed to turn the victim's blood into acid, definitely not the way that I wanted to go. I had more then enough knowledge, almost certain death is a good motivator, to stand on almost even ground but I certainly didn't have the same amount of experience. I ended up having to rely on the reflexes I gained from Quidditch as well as the fact that Voldemort's body was not exactly physically fit. I could hardly get a curse in edgewise as I spent most of my time dodging the rapidly fired curses from Voldemort. Luckily Voldemort was arrogant enough to order his Death Eaters to stay out of our duel so he was the only one that I had to deal with.

Sweat poured down my face as I barely dodged another killing curse and managed to fire off a barely legal cutting curse of my own. I almost dropped my wand in shock when my curse actually struck his directly in the chest, but I did drop it when my head split open in blinding pain as it felt like something foul was trying to force its way into my head.

It didn't take me long to realize that the horrible presence was Voldemort trying to jump from his own body into my own. The pain was worse then anything that I had ever experienced and I couldn't hold back the screams that ripped through my throat as I tried to implement everything I had learned about mind magic to force him out. Unfortunately mind magic is something that is very hard to learn without the proper instruction so I only had what I had learned in books to go off of; that and the intense urge to get him out.

As I struggled to push him out my mind brought forth images of all of the people that he had had a hand in taking from me as well as what my life would have been like if he had never been born and as I thought about what it would have been like to grow up with a loving family I felt Voldemort's presence weaken in my mind. I began to throw every happy memory I had, not that there were very many, and every dream that I had about a happy family at the presence and felt it retreat with a scream that was both in my mind and outside of it. My body sagged as the last of my energy failed me and I vaguely heard the sound of dozens of bodies dropping to the ground as I fell into the welcoming darkness.

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I easily recognized the white ceiling of the hospital wing as my eyes opened and I could barely hold in the groan of annoyance as the first person that I saw was Granger of all people as she practically threw herself at me. Apparently she thought that I would suddenly decide to go back the way it was before despite ignoring she and Ron for all that time. Of course it might also be the fact that her plans of having my money and power were useless without either Dumbledore to carry them out or my friendship to make it happen. "Oh Harry, when you collapsed on the field we thought you were dead. We're so glad that you're alright."

I pushed her off of me with a grimace as the blood started to flow through my body again. "Really, you mean that you were watching the battle from one of the windows?" The look on her face as the other people in the room that I didn't recognize looked at her with disgust. "Even the older Slytherins were out there fighting to protect the wizarding world and the younger students while you waited for the dust to settle in the castle. Do you actually believe for even one moment that I would want anything to do with either of you when the only thing you care about is your own wellbeing?" I barely restrained the snarl as Granger fled the room with a glaring Weasley following after her.

"That was very well put Mr. Potter." One of the men that I did not recognize stepped forward with a grim smile on his face. "My name is Rufus and I am now the acting Minister. Due to your excellent service toward the wizarding world we are willing to ignore the murder of the entire Dark Faction by your hand if you agree to become the leader of the Ministry's new protection force which will almost solely deal with the rooting out of Dark Wizards and creatures before they become a problem."

I could almost feel my stomach trying to claw its way out of my body. "I would rather not have to fight anymore. The only thing that I want to do is find somewhere nice and quiet to settle down for the rest of my life."

I could tell from the look on Rufus' face that that was the wrong thing to say as far as he was concerned. "Unfortunately Mr. Potter, you are currently charged with mass murder and while the Ministry is willing to let these charges fade away if you agree to our small demands there will be no leniency if you refuse. The Ministry is being infinitely merciful in this matter and we expect you to realize this and respond favorably. We know that you are currently somewhat out of sorts with the battle fresh on your mind so we will return tomorrow for you answer. We know that you will make the right decision." They all swept out of the room with a flourish leaving me staring after them as I felt my world crumble around my ears.

I spent hours staring at the door that they had gone through as my mind swirled deeper and deeper into the darkness. I thought that I would only have to defeat Voldemort to be free; that after he fell I would be able to settle down and spend the rest of my days at a boring job just like everyone else. What more would they ask of me? I gave them my childhood without so much as a how do you do and now they wanted me to devote the rest of my life killing people or get sentenced to either the Kiss or a life sentence in Azkaban.

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I don't know when I finally managed to fall unconscious, one moment I was still staring at the closed door and the next I was standing in the middle of a field of flowers that rustled with a wind that I could almost swear I could feel. It was such a peaceful meadow that I could feel the tension that I had carried my entire life just fall off of my shoulders as if it had never been there in the first place and I hardly noticed as the smile stretched across my face.

I spent what felt like hours just wandering around the meadow, not really looking for anything but just enjoying the rare moment of freedom before it was taken from me like everything else. The moment that this thought crossed my mind I felt a surge of power from what felt like everywhere surround me before a bell like voice seemed to seep into my mind. "Why do you think that everything is going to be taken from you, my child?"

"Everything that I enjoy or love is taken away from me. My family was taken from me when I was a baby and now they want to take away the very last bit of my freedom and there's nothing that I can do about it." I could feel the tears cascading down my face but I didn't have the strength to wipe them away. "I'm just so very tired of always giving everything I have to other people without ever getting anything back in return. I just want to have a life of my own and they won't let me; they always want more."

"My poor, poor child, it seems as if my other children have taken advantage of my wonderful gift. Perhaps it is time for them to realize that the world does not revolve around them but for now I believe that it is time for you to get the chance at the life that you so desperately crave." The voice was soothing as it drifted across my mind. "This world does not deserve you and so I will grant another world with the gift of your presence. I cannot guarantee that you will not suffer any strife in this new world but I can guarantee you the chance to live by your own choices and not the will of others."

I felt the drowsiness take over, hardly thinking about how strange it was to get tired in a dream.

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_**The Boy-Who-Lived found dead!**_

_**After the battle of Hogwarts the savior was cloistered away within the Hogwarts infirmary under the watchful eye of the best healers that the Ministry had to offer, with a heavy case of exhaustion. We were assured that he was going to b fine and that there was going to be an awards ceremony held to celebrate the victory over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.**_

_**This reporter was able to get a pass into the castle to interview Mr. Potter by several of the surviving members of the staff. When I first arrived at the infirmary it was to find that Mr. Potter was just waking up while surrounded by Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, and several members of the Ministry, including the acting Minister. **_

_**Well I knew that they would not allow me to be present at such a meeting but I managed to conceal myself well enough to slip into the room unnoticed and I am most certainly happy that I did.**_

_**Upon waking Mr. Potter revealed that both Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley were not participants in the final battle and had in fact waited within the safety of the castle itself while their year mates defended it with their lives. My dear readers I can assure you that I was every bit as shocked as you no doubt are that the two students who claimed to be on the front lines were not even in the battle but shortly after they left and before I had even recovered from the shock the Minister shocked me once more.**_

_**He first congratulated Mr. Potter on the words that he had spoken to Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley before he told Mr. Potter that he was going to lead a group of wizards and witches solely dedicated to the destruction of Dark wizards and creatures. He offered Mr. Potter this position with the threat that if he did not choose to lead this force that he would be charged with the murder of every member of the Dark Lord's faction. He made it plain that he was not going to let our savior enjoy the rest of his life after giving his childhood to us. **_

_**After the Minister left a stunned Mr. Potter in the room I could not tear myself away from the sight of our broken savior, how could we ask anything more of the one that did so much without asking anything of us? He stared at the door that the Minister had passed through until he body seemed to drift off into the unknown. I was entranced as I watched the tension that our hero carries with him every waking hour vanish in an instant. He spent over an hour in this peaceful slumber before his body glowed with a light so intense that it took almost fifteen minutes for my eyes to readjust to find that our savior now laid quiet on the bed. He escaped the chains of the Ministry in the only way that he knew, our savior has now passed into the next great adventure and this reporter can only ask one thing of the Ministry. Are you satisfied with the death of the one person who gave everything he was to save you from Voldemort while you insisted that he was merely a child that wanted fame, when you called him a liar, and when you tried to charge him for defending himself? **_

_**I will admit that at the time I followed with the Ministry, but that is a time long past and I regret it with every breath. Hopefully the spirit of our savior will be allowed the peace that he was not allowed in this life in the next.**_

_**Rita Skeeter **_

_**For the life of Harry James Potter - Page 6**_

_**For profiles of Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley - Page 7**_

_**For interviews with members of the Ministry - Page 8**_

_**For information about the Tribute to our Heroes - Page 12**_

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I know that the article is a bit short but its only to show what the wizarding world sees in Harry's apparent 'death'.

Review and let me know what you think of this new story of mine.


	2. The Will of Harry James Potter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the Final Fantasy empire.**

**_Helpful note: Anything in first person is Harry._**

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I knew that something was most certainly wrong when I awoke to find myself in the middle of a field that looked remarkably like the one that I had dreamed of instead of the infirmary bed that always seemed to have one lump that you couldn't escape. The appearance of the field was the same though there was something that was just slightly off about it, perhaps it was the lack of the comforting presence, but it was still a welcome sight. I stood as gently as possible, several of my joints were more then a little unhappy to be mobile, and surveyed the area as calmly as possible. I have been in the magical world more then long enough that waking up somewhere that I dreamed about was just one more thing to add to the list of unusual occurrences that just have to happen to me.

I started to check myself over and found that my body was in better condition now than it had ever been, which is kind of sad I suppose. The battle wounds were gone and though I am still entirely too skinny I don't look like I haven't had a good meal in years. Knowing my luck I probably still look more like a girl then I do a boy with the waist length hair and the removal of my glasses. My eyes were fixed for obvious reasons, nothing quite like getting your glasses summoned in battle and being completely blind. The hair was a personal thing, not only did Sirius like my hair long but it kept it from standing up all over the place and it brought out red highlights that remind me of my mother.

I found a pouch in my pocket that had a long letter attached to it with writing that I didn't recognize.

_Dear Harry,_

_Your life has been anything but peaceful and for that I apologize. You are one of my chosen children and I did not take proper care of you as I trusted my other children to do that for me; it is a mistake that I will never make again and those children that caused the most harm will be punished._

_You surely have noticed that you are no longer within the hospital wing of Hogwarts, but you should also know that you are no longer in the world that you once called home. In that world you were found dead on the bed that you fell asleep on and through a small amount of manipulation on my part I made sure that a certain beetle that I am sure you remember was present for the event and the confrontation beforehand. She wrote a rather nice article about it that will no doubt cause those who betrayed you no end of trouble though it is not nearly enough._

_I took the liberty of writing a will for you before you passed though it will only divide up a small portion of your rather immense fortune as well as the properties. The rest of your fortune lies within this incredibly useful bottomless pouch. _

_The world that you are now in is known as Terra, it is a world that does not know magic the same way that you do. Here the magic must be drawn from the planet with the help of beings known as guardian forces that attach themselves to the user's minds and normally take up the space used to store childhood memories. There are individuals who can use magic without drawing it out and they are known as Sorceresses and yes they are all traditionally female. Your magic was far too strong to make you anything other then the first male Sorceress._

_As a Sorceress you will eventually need to find a knight to protect you and keep you from falling into your magic as it is even more powerful than it was before. Many people in this world fear Sorceresses as many of them go insane without a knight and can be highly destructive. Currently the Sorceress known as Edea is ruling most of the world with an iron fist though she was once a very gentle and kind woman._

_Sorceresses also tend to have to battle against the personality of their power as it is passed down from one Sorceress to the next and the malice has a tendency to build. You won't have to deal with this though you do have the ability to absorb the power of other Sorceress though it will not be an easy task to keep one of them disabled long enough to do so._

_There is also the matter of SeeD to deal with. They are a group of agents trained at special schools throughout the world to defeat Sorceresses and to complete jobs that can be done by no one else. It was put into play by the Sorceress Edea before she lost herself to the power and her husband who now runs one of the schools as the headmaster. They could be a great ally or an enemy, I cannot tell which way it will go._

_I know that it must be highly overwhelming but this was the only way that I could grant your wish of freedom. This is a new world and you now have the power necessary to take any path that you wish. I hope that you find happiness._

_Magic_

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The gathered group of individuals in the will reading room of Gringotts could not have been more diverse; there were members of both sides of the war with the media in varied corners as they waited for the reading to begin.

Ragnorak, the Head Goblin, stood at the front of the room with the will orb that would shock the wizarding world with a smile on his face though few would be able to tell. "We are here to listen to the last will and testament of Harry James Potter-Black. The media has been allowed to attend to make sure that everything in this will is known to the world at large and so that the letter of the will is sure to be followed by all present."

He sat the orb on the table and channeled a small bit of magic into it before stepping back to watch the show. Instead of the form of the Boy-Who-Lived as they were expecting, a woman's form stepped out of the glow of the orb and she did not look particularly pleased. She bore a striking resemblance to Lily Potter and many had to look very closely to assure themselves that it was not she. The woman's voice was beautiful though it filled many in the room with a sense of foreboding.

_I am the incarnation of magic itself and according to the laws that Merlin first set down in the Ministry at its founding I am here to speak on the behalf of one of my most cherished children as he can no longer speak for himself in this world._

_I chose Harry to be my most powerful of children for the bright and shining soul that resided within his form. I left him in the care of others that I blessed with my power as I thought that they would care for him in ways that I could not as I watched over all of my other children. By the time that I returned to check up on him he was an abused child that was being forced to fight in a way that was not his burden to bear. Even when he completed the task that you set out for him you would not let him be and so I took it upon myself to rectify my mistake in trusting you and let him pass into the next world._

_Most of his material possessions are gone from this world in the same manner as he though there is still much left to divide._

_To Neville Longbottom he left one property in Spain and two in Ireland as well as any books on Herbology within his vaults._

_To Luna Lovegood he left one property in Wales and another in Canada as well as any creature and tracking books within his vaults to help her find the hidden things._

_To Tonks he left three of the Black properties in England to help her reconnect with the magical side of the family as well as placing all members of the estranged Blacks back into the family._

_To Fred and George Weasley he left all of his remaining monies under the stipulation that Ronald Weasley and Ginerva Weasley do not profit from said monies or any resulting financial gain. He also left them the personal journals of the Marauders to help them advance in the world of pranks and mischief._

_To Bill Weasley he left a manor in France to continue his life with Fleur in her own country as well as a cottage in Egypt._

_To Charlie Weasley he left a manor in Romania and any items pertaining to dragons left in the Black or Potter vaults._

_To Hermione Granger he leaves only the contempt that he felt in the knowledge that she was only using him for power and money as well as the knowledge that she hid when others fought to save the Wizarding World. The same is what is left to Ronald Weasley for his overwhelming jealousy and inability to think of any other._

_To Ginerva Weasley, while Harry did not know of your treachery I am no fool. You tried many times to spike his drinks with love potions in the attempt to become Lady Potter while sleeping with well over half of the male population of Hogwarts. I personally made sure that none of those potions came to fruition._

_To the rest of the Weasley clan, you may not have actively done anything to harm Harry but you knew what was going on and did nothing to prevent it._

_To Draco and Naricissa Malfoy, all remaining items belonging to the Black family are to be placed into your care including all stocks and bonds. Lucius was a good man no matter how hard he tried to prove otherwise._

_All other items will be liquidated and the money earned to be used to start a foundation for the orphans created by the war and any coming wars._

Magic's eyes gained a frosty gleam as she gazed at those she had spurned and they felt suddenly bereft. _Those that betrayed my chosen one will never perform another act of magic from this day forward. Any person that chooses to slander him or try to overturn anything that has been done this day will share their fate. _

_I left but one of my favored children for you to care for and barring the very select few, you failed._

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The pandemonium in the Wizarding World was a spectacular thing to behold, once people got wind of the fact that Magic herself had been the one to leave the will and what she had revealed they did everything they could think of to make sure that they were not on her bad side.

Hermione was immediately stripped of any items that connected her to the magical world including the memories of her time spent in Hogwarts and she was shipped back to her parents, who were also obliviated, to spend the rest of her life as a muggle. No one seemed to realize that without any records of her schooling she would be left in quite the hard spot when it came to finding a way to support herself and its doubtful whether they would have cared if they did know. She ended up struggling to make a place for herself as she stayed living with her parents until she found a man with a modest income that was willing to marry her. What followed was a mediocre life of taking care of the house and having child after child for a man that could hardly stand to be around her and frequently spent his free time with one of the secretaries at the office.

Ronald Weasley was sent back to his parents in shame and as he did not have the ability to perform magic nor the knowledge to live in the muggle world he was allowed only one course of life in the wizarding world. He ended up taking over Filch's position as the squib watchman of Hogwarts as the man had died in the last battle shielding a child with his own body. Many of the students took great delight in showing off their magic in front of the Weasel, which was what he was fondly referred to as, and making sure that he knew just what he was missing whenever possible. His greatest antagonist was Draco Malfoy who managed to become the second youngest Potion Master in history, he waited just long enough that Severus' record would still stand, and took the position of Potion Professor and Head of Slytherin house and spent any time he could spare making Ronald's life almost unbearable.

Ginerva was another story all together. She had never been very good at magic to begin with, it wasn't that she didn't have the power but she spent so much of her time trying to become Mrs. Potter that she didn't have time for magic. She barely noticed that she didn't have magic anymore until she realized that she wouldn't be able to go back to Hogwarts or get a job in the only world that she knew. None of her family wanted to support her and she was more than aware of that so she turned to the only thing that she knew other than magic. Many wizards would come to know Ginerva very well though without magic to make the encounters more pleasurable she was barely able to scrape by with what they were willing to pay for her 'services'. The rest of her days would be spent as nothing more then a plaything for the bored elite until her body no longer appealed to anyone and she ended up in a shelter for the homeless in the muggle world with nothing other then the clothes on her back though she never went hungry.

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I could still feel the inside of my head spin as I tried to come to terms with everything that had happened since the final battle. After years of fighting I finally won only to be threatened and sent to another world by Magic herself. McGonagall once told me that if anything strange or impossible was going to happen, it was going to happen to me. I'm sure she would find this absolutely hilarious.

I took stock of everything around me as quickly as possible, a habit that I had picked up from having a psychopath haunting my every move for most of my life. Instead of the pajamas that were standard issue in Hogwarts I was clothed in silk from head to toe which felt rather heavenly if I do say so myself. The pants were black and tight around the hips before flaring out at the knees and covering my feet that were clad in platform boots that had a multitude of buckles. The shirt was emerald green and was what I remember Tonks calling a poet's shirt. I turned my attention to my surroundings after I was finished making sure that nothing was showing that I didn't want showing. The meadow was calming but it would be no place for me to live or get a restful night's sleep, my time in the hospital wing was anything but after all. I picked a direction that looked particularly enticing and headed that way with vigor that was only partially faked; hopefully I wouldn't run into anything with teeth on the way.

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Sorceress Edea knew that something had changed, the very air around her seemed to be almost humming in pleasure as it swirled around the lavish room that she had painstaking designed herself in merriment. It whispered of a blessed one, a Sorceress that would outshine all others and change fate. Chills traveled down her spine as she looked over the city's eternal night as she ignored the screams and threats that came from her human half.

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**Review and let me know what you think.**


	3. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the Final Fantasy empire.**

**_Helpful note: Anything in first person is Harry._**

**Hopefully this will separate my story from other Final Fantasy VIII.**

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I had encountered several hamlets so far and I can honestly say that I was somewhat less than pleased so far. Most of them were stuck somewhere in the medieval period including the intense fear of the truly supernatural. They did not fear magic but those who could use magic under their own power. The only upside was that they weren't likely to start up any witch, or Sorceress, hunts any time soon.

It wasn't until I came upon a railway that led to one of the many small bodies of land on this world that I found something interesting. There was a train already in the station and the group that walked out of it with a determined stride sent my war senses into overdrive.

They were led by a young man that was probably my age or slightly older with spiked brown hair and ice blue eyes that surveyed the station with a look that I know crossed my face more times than I would like to admit. It was the look of a soldier that was making sure that he could gain the upper hand in any terrain if things went south. The man's build was made for speed and agility with enough strength to make a difference without slowing him down.

There was another young man in the group that was the first's polar opposite. His blond hair stood straight up and his darker eyes sparkled with merriment. He paid no mind to the station and instead took his time to stretch before jumping around like an over excited puppy. There was a tattoo on his face that seemed rather tribal but lost some of its power when he smiled. The only thing that hinted that this one was more than he appeared were the gloves on his hands that had metal plating on each of the knuckles.

The only girl of the group was every bit as excitable as the blond, maybe even more so. Her brown hair curled up on each side and made her look a good deal younger than she probably was and her matching eyes twinkled suspiciously like a certain old man that I knew. Her weapon of choice was the nunchaku that hung from the small of her back.

I wasn't completely sure if it was wise to let such obvious fighters know I was there but the decision was taken firmly out of my hands when the leader turned in my direction and locked me in place with his frozen eyes.

Squall walked off the train with a barely audible sigh and surveyed the general area for threats. This was his first mission and he had ended up with two of the most energetic graduates of the year and he shuddered to think that he still had another train ride left until he reached Timber. Something about this mission set him on edge and he decided to sweep the area again just in case.

It wasn't until his eyes met startling eyes of emerald that he realized that they were not alone at the station. The other was a delicate looking young teen that looked as if he hadn't done a hard day's work in his life, but there was something about the way that he just stood there watching them that set all of Squall's instincts on edge.

He barely controlled his flinch as Selphie bounced down from the platform and trotted right over to the boy as if it was the most natural thing in the world with Zell right behind her. One would never know that they were trained to be mercenaries with their complete lack of natural suspicion. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he followed at a much slower pace.

I was somewhat less than surprised when the energetic looking girl came bouncing over with the blond looking like two excitable puppies. Something about the energy that they gave off was rather comforting. My eyes shifted to the figure behind them to find their leader walking over with a look of acceptance tinged with just a touch of annoyance; obviously he was used to this kind of behavior.

"Hello, my name is Selphie, this is Zell, and the brooding one is our fearless leader, Squall." She said all of this in one breath and didn't stop moving the entire time. I wouldn't have even known that she was a trained warrior if it wasn't for the way that she sized me up when she first reached me. The blond was slightly less subtle but no less exuberant.

"My name is Orion." Not quite sure where that name came from but it does sound a lot better than Harry. Sorceress Harry just doesn't sound very good and I doubt that a place with names like Selphie, Zell and Squall is used to names like Harry. "I was just traveling through the area and was wondering if there was a decent place to stay anywhere around here."

The smile that stretched across Zell's face caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. "Well, bro, we're heading to Timber and I'm sure that there's somewhere around there that you could crash and it would be a lot safer to travel with us than all by yourself." He rubbed the back of his head with a slightly sheepish look that was a bit forced. "Not to be rude, but you don't look like you could hold your own against any of the local monsters for very long."

It's not my fault that I didn't eat enough as a child, honestly. "I have been doing just fine so far but it would be safer to travel in a group as I don't really know where I am or where I should go. I would love to travel with you if your 'fearless leader' does not mind."

Squall tilted his head to the side and seemed to be trying to see straight through to my soul and he was doing a pretty good job to be honest. "It wouldn't slow us down and it would be bad form to allow a civilian to wonder around without any protection whether you have managed so far or not." And so I joined the group of mismatched individuals as Selphie dragged me into the train that had pulled into the station just after Squall had agreed to take me. Something tells me that this trip will not turn out the way that any of them think that it will.

* * *

"We all just passed our examinations and graduated so this is going to be our first official mission." Selphie hadn't stopped talking the entire time and I could practically feel the headache building behind my eyes. "It's not very exciting but we're going to support a rebel group that is trying to free Timber from Empire rule. We might get to blow something up if we're lucky."

"Where exactly did you graduate from?" Something about them made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and not in a good way.

"We're SeeDs now and we trained at the Balamb Garden." Zell seemed to practically swell with pride as my insides turned to ice, out of all the people on this planet the first ones that I run into are the ones that are trained to kill people like me.

"So you are a group of mercenaries trained to promote racism among the people by training to eliminate Sorceresses based solely on what they are?" The question poured from my mouth with enough disdain to outdo Snape.

"Well, it had nothing to do with what they are but Sorceresses are known to go insane with power and tend to be cruel. We're just supposed to make sure that everyone is safe from them." Zell's voice seemed a bit disturbed and the look in my eyes caused him to look at his shoes.

"So you are saying that every Sorceress is bound to go insane despite the fact that the overall number of them never goes down so there are probably dozens or more of them out there that don't hurt anyone and don't plan to." The only one that didn't look guilty was Squall and he still wouldn't look at me directly. "If you were to come across a Sorceress that had a Knight and was perfectly in control of her own mind would you leave her alone or would you eliminate her because she might one day be a threat to someone?" I didn't even give them a chance to answer as I fled from the compartment. I could feel my magic starting to react and that was the very last thing that I needed right now.

* * *

The rest of the ride was peaceful as I hadn't even got near the compartment that they were in and I had no intention of doing so. They may not be out to get all Sorceresses but that doesn't make them righteous by any stretch of the imagination.

Any group that is specifically trained to eliminate any one kind of individual, even if they do other tasks, could at any point turn on all members of that basic group of people. They might start off as just protection against those Sorceresses that loose their way but a couple of generations might turn them into a group that could rival the Death Eaters in all of their glory.

The original reason that Salazar Slytherin was against muggles and muggleborns was that many of them were religious to an extreme and would hunt and kill witches and wizards without mercy, it had nothing to do with their blood. Muggleborns would enter the wizarding world and would learn everything that they could about how to kill other witches and wizards and do so once they felt they knew enough. Witch burnings were common place and those few muggleborns that accepted their power were killed by their own families. He didn't want to risk either scenario but history turned it into a blood issue that drove Voldemort to such an extreme.

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**Review and let me know what you think.**


	4. Sarcasm and Princesses

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy.**

**Sorry for the wait but I ended up rewriting this chapter four times.**

A Warning: For some reason I have never liked Rinoa.

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I had hardly stepped off of the train before Selphie floated over and looked at me with eyes that strongly reminded me of a kicked puppy. "We didn't mean to make you angry, mostly we just do odd jobs for people who need a little bit of muscle. Right now we're going to help out a resistance group, maybe you would feel better if you came along?"

Squall and Zell sauntered over and I wasn't even given the chance to respond before Zell decided to throw in his two cents. "Yeah, I mean, I've never even seen a Sorceress. We're closer to being just plain old mercenaries than anything else. Besides this resistance thing probably won't be too awfully hard to do so you won't have to worry about getting hurt with us around." He struck a pose that reminded me of Sirius so keenly that I had to blink several times to get the image to dissipate.

"Even having a civilian around should not make this job unmanageable." Even with the cold exterior Squall actually seemed to want me to come along, interesting.

"As long as none of you say anything that degrades an entire race of people without good reason then there should be no problem with me going with you." Maybe traveling with them will help calm the new powers rolling inside of me. It wouldn't do to prove them right after all.

The town of Timber was one of the most depressing places I had ever been to by far. Everyone seemed to walk around with one eye on the ground and one constantly watching the soldiers that were in town for the president's little visit that seemed to be advertised on every telephone pole with bright colors and flashy pictures. The group of mercenaries that I have the luck to be stuck with didn't look anywhere but at the sectioned off part of the station where a lone man sat on a bench with a newspaper hiding most of him from view.

Squall separated from the group and approached the man with a tired expression on his face before uttering something I couldn't quite catch but made the man's face light up for a moment before he stood and motioned for us to follow him into the rather drab looking train nearest to the bench he had been sitting on.

The inside of the train was just about as bad as the outside with steel grey walls that were only broken up by the occasional poster or page of small print type. There was another man in the room that looked like he could snap me in half but the look on his face reminded me of Hagrid, the man probably couldn't stand the thought of hurting a fly even if it was a mutant fly that was as big as a house. The two looked over the group for a moment before the big one scratched his head and tilted it to the side.

"Thought that there was only supposed to be three of you. That's all we could afford even with the extension that Cid gave the princess." The man's voice was just as rough as Hagrid's, if a bit more wary.

Selphie stepped forward while Zell rubbed his head and Squall looked at one of the posters on the wall with barely veiled disgust. "Me, Zell, and Squall are the SeeDs that were sent to help you. This is Orion. We met with him on the way and he will be accompanying us during the mission at no extra cost to you."

"So we got lucky and managed to get another pair of hands." There was a wry twist to the man's mouth as he surveyed the room again. "The mission is fairly simple and I'm sure that there won't be anything to worry about. Before we go over the plan though someone will have to go wake up the princess."

* * *

"This is the stupidest, most irrational plan that I have had the misfortune of hearing and trust me, that's certainly saying something." I couldn't believe that they were actually sure that this plan of theirs was actually going to work. First, what politician in their right mind would travel in such a way that people like these would be able to separate him from his guards and they didn't even have a plan for if they did get their hands on him. Their leader looked to be the type of girl that just played the heroine when it suited her and had likely spent her entire life in the lap of luxury. "Even if this guy is the dumbest politician in the world, which the evidence disproves, his guards would at least have the intelligence to see something like this coming. Do you even have a plan B?"

The goons seemed to be a little ashamed but the 'princess' puffed up like a blowfish. "It is a good plan, the man isn't planning on having his car separated from the rest of the train so we'll have him right where we want him and he'll have to listen to us." She sneered and I had to resist the urge to strangle her. "Why do you care anyway? You're just a tag along that the SeeDs picked up on their way here. You probably haven't done anything to help anyone your entire life."

I was across the room before anyone had the chance to do more than blink and had the brat pinned to the wall with hardly any effort at all. "Rich little brats like you only help people because they think that everything should work the way that they want it to and they expect everything they do to 'help' is really the best that those lower than them should need. One of these days you will look around you and realize that in the grand scheme of things you aren't more than a blip in history that no one will remember in a couple of decades no matter what you think you accomplished. If you really want to help these people than you should be using whatever power you have access to through your parents to get them food and proper care and not trying to take down a man that has far more power than you with such childish games. People like him play a game of life and death not the kiddy games that you indulge in."

She was as pale as death by the time Squall pulled me away and put me on the opposite side of the room. Everything about her made me furious and the power beneath her skin marked her as another Sorceress, not nearly as powerful and not awakened but it was there. Spoiled girls should not be able to use that kind of power.

In the end the little princess decided to still go through with her little plans though she outright refused to let me come along, not that I offered. She huffed off with three very reluctant SeeDs following her and I almost felt sorry for them, almost.

Just to spite the little chit I took up residence in her room, trying valiantly to ignore the gross amount of pink, and tried to find my center. It seemed that every moment in this world was making my control slip further out of line. My temper had always been a little on the explosive side but it normally took a bit more than that to set me off. Being around another Sorceress probably wasn't helping matters nor was hanging around a bunch of mercenary teens that were trained to target people like him, not that I really have anywhere else to go.

* * *

"Did everything turn out exactly the way that I told you they would then?" I watched as the SeeDs stumbled back into the main car with the rumpled Rinoa following behind with a sour look on her face. "The 'president' that you went to blackmail turned out to be a fake right?"

Rinoa huffed and pushed past me with a sneer that made her look more constipated than anything else. "We have to get back off the train when we get to Timber and intercept the president at the television studio before he does whatever it is that he plans on doing."

"And another wonderfully thought out plan brought to you by the little spoiled princess, my heart flutters with joy." Squall looked over at me with one eyebrow raised and I placed one hand over my heart and batted my eyelashes. "Really, it does."

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**Review and let me know what you think. I may have made Harry a little more sarcastic than I had originally planned but I'm going to chalk it up to the power building without a Knight.**


	5. Another Brilliant Plan and the Point

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy VIII.**

**Harry(Orion) may seem a little touchy but I blame it on being in a new world with a ton of magic and nothing to ground it, not to mention having to put up with Rinoa.**

* * *

The town was even more depressing now that the soldiers were up in arms over the attempt, and I do use that term very lightly, on the president's life. Every soldier on the street looked more than ready to haul off on the first troublemaker they saw, though some of the older ones looked more amused than anything else. They were probably the ones that knew how badly the 'terrorists' failed and weren't all that worried about a better performance.

The princess had tried to whine enough to get me left behind this time but Squall didn't even blink as he motioned for me to follow and took off without looking back to catch the rather impressive pout. Of course I would have been more than happy to stay on the train and wait for them to fail but where is the fun in that?

{C}

"What could he possibly want to announce over the television waves?" Selphie was probably the most relaxed member of the group, though Zell was a close second. "I mean he's only the president of Gabaldia and he went to a lot of trouble to get the old towers activated so the whole world would hear the broadcast."

Princess puffed up and sniffed almost like the mere question offended her. "He's probably going to announce some diabolical plot to take over the world or some new law to make these people's lives harder than they already are, that's why we have to stop him."

"Are you really that childish?" She glared at me and I couldn't quite contain the grin, not that I tried. "If he was going to try to take over the world, he wouldn't announce the intention until the war was already over, nothing beats the element of surprise after all. As for the new law idea, he likely has ministers and minions that would be more than capable of doing so and it wouldn't have to be a worldwide broadcast or even a broadcast at all."

I looked around at the people that looked even more pathetic than usual before sending my own glare at the princess. "Most of these people and probably the majority of the people in the capital probably don't know half of the laws on the books. Tyrants tend to make as many laws as possible while making sure that most people don't know them so if they need to get someone put away, or gotten rid of, they have plenty of ways to do it without the populace being any the wiser. Right now we could have broken fifty laws just walking from the train station to here and we wouldn't know it unless we registered as a threat that needed to disappear."

Zell looked at me with little stars in his eyes before clapping me on the back hard enough that I swear I could feel my lungs bash against my rib cage. "I wish I would have met you sooner, our politics teacher would have swooned over something like that. Maybe you could tell her that with me standing nearby so I could get it on tape."

{C}

Of course, the princess's brilliant plan to storm the television station when the president was making his speech turned out wonderfully, really. Apparently one of the students from the 'Garden' that Squall and his friends went to showed up and attempted to take the president hostage for Princess. Of course the presidents guards didn't like that much and we had to rush in to save him, or rather rush after the princess to protect her while she made the rather vain attempt.

A professor from the Garden was also in attendance and seemed to make things monumentally more complicated, like calling out to Squall and his group by name, over the television. I'm sure that there are just tons of people with their names just wandering around.

The rampant student had a scar on his face similar to Squall and you could tell from the wonderful looks that they gave each other that they really just wanted to be friends, maiming each other was just a hobby. Other than that he was rather unremarkable, though one could call him ruggedly handsome if it wasn't for the fact that he was wrapped around Princess's fingers.

Everything spiraled out of control in a predictable fashion until _**she**_ arrived. I could feel her power coming long before she appeared with the stereotypical swirl of black magic. She was beautiful but the insanity was more than a bit obvious, there was something very wrong with her. It wasn't natural insanity, if such a thing is possible, but reminded me of possession in a way that made my skin crawl. She was unnatural in her madness and she surveyed the room with the air of someone that is accustomed to having the world at her feet.

The idiot that had the president captive was enthralled with her presence and seemed to completely forget that he had broken quite a few laws on behalf of the princess. Nothing good would come of this.

{C}

"We have to find some way to save Seifer." Princess hadn't stopped harping the point since we ended up in the home of a resistance member that reminded me much too heavily of Mrs. Weasley, though she was much more bearable. "There has to be some way to save him."

Squall was pinching the bridge of his nose and looked halfway tempted to knock some sense into the girl while the instructor from the studio actually looked like she was considering the thought. "It is highly unlikely that he will live long enough for us to find him, he assaulted the president on an international broadcast and was apprehended by a Sorceress."

"That thing should not be called a Sorceress." Open mouth, insert foot. Every eye turned to me and I could feel the tick forming above my left eye. "That woman was more of an animal that a human and her moments reminded me of a puppet on a string. I wouldn't be surprised if she was possessed by something more powerful than she was capable of holding off."

"I didn't have the time to ask about it earlier, but just who are you?" The instructor had a highly irritating 'higher than thou' tone, she was probably a prodigy. "You seemed to handle yourself well in the studio but you are not a member of the resistance, nor are you a SeeD."

"I am most certainly not a member of your class of hired guns, or a member of the Princess's social club." I blatantly ignored the indignant call of _My name is Rinoa, _and continued. "I found myself tagging along with Squall and his little group and have yet to separate."

The woman looked confused before resituating her glasses and giving me a once over. "You just decided to follow a group of mercenaries into a fight that you had nothing to do with?"

I looked up at the ceiling for a moment before giving a rather good impression of a Malfoy smirk. "I didn't have anything better to do and they wanted to prove to me that they weren't a group of racist killers but mercenaries though with that Sorceress showing up I have no doubt that they'll have to switch and find someway to off her, yes?"

The woman looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Well, yes, the woman is a confirmed Sorceress and has been manipulating the president for sometime. She is planning to come out as their 'liaison' at a parade and it has been decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to end her reign before innocent lives are lost."

"Wonderful, so if I decide to follow you around from here I'll get to see you make fools out of yourselves by failing to kill the possessed woman in public." I rolled my shoulders and looked out the window at the soldiers that were making their way to the house. "I can hardly wait."

{C}

**Edea's POV**

Seeing all of my children, barring Irvine of course, was more of a shock to me than I think she was ready for. They had all grown up so well though Squall looked to be a little to cold considering how sweet of a child he had been. Selphie was just as bubbly, matched in energy by Zell though it seemed to be a close thing. Quintus was the same bossy little girl that used to fuss every time one of the boys got in a fight and Seifer was still the same hopeless romantic that used to tell her tales of becoming the Knight of a powerful Sorceress and protecting her from everyone.

Seifer…he shouldn't have been there with _her _in control. He didn't know that she wasn't me and that she truly was the evil that SeeD was created to destroy. He remembered me and the orphanage and every story that I ever told him and he was convinced that I was the same woman that used to tuck him into bed at night. If he stayed here he would be used to fight the others, to fight the ones that he used to protect. But he won't be here long enough for that, I won't let her use him and I have just enough strength left to make sure his focus is somewhere else.

{C}

I felt more than heard the person that entered the room that I had shut myself in the first moment that I could. My emotions were sparking and boiling and I couldn't control them at all. During the war I had to be able to squash any emotion that might slow me down or make me falter. You can't stop to mourn a friend when thirty or more people are trying to kill you, wouldn't do to mourn them and join them at the same time. I honestly thought that Magic would give me more time to find a Knight before the power got to be too much, but then again, she wouldn't have known that I would end up so close to a untapped Sorceress with one of the most annoying personalities on the planet.

"Are you alright Orion?" Selphie then. "You haven't looked so good since we joined up with Rinoa. You look a little feverish." Her hand touched my forehead and I finally opened my eyes to looked at her, she looked awfully worried for someone she hardly knew. "I know we haven't known each other very long at all but you seem to be unusually snappy and uncomfortable around Rinoa."

"She reminds me of someone that I knew a long time ago, and there is an energy around her that makes me slightly uncomfortable." That is as close as I'm coming to telling the truth. "Don't worry, I shall try to be as civil as possible from here on out as I am technically just tagging along for amusement."

Selphie straightened and pouted before conking me on the head with a light hand. "Don't go thinking that you're a burden, you're an awesome healer and some of the magic you have stocked has saved our hide several times already and we haven't even been in that many fights yet. You didn't have to come with us and even though you don't share the same views that we do you have still backed us up, and frankly I think that Rinoa needs to have someone like you around to make her think." Selphie looked almost embarrassed to have said the last bit and managed to make an exit before I could even process it, she's faster than she looks, and that is certainly saying something.

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**Review and let me know what you think, along with who you think should be his Knight. Also this is the point where things are going to stray a bit from the game time-line.**


	6. A Cowboy and a Split

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the Final Fantasies.**

**Sorry for the long wait, I just closed on a house and will start a new job on the 1st of June. I have been a busy little bee, but hopefully I'll have a lot more time from here on out.**

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"You were contracted to me by Headmaster Cid to help liberate Timber." This was the third complaint lodged in the space of ten minutes by the little princess.

"They are only mercenaries until they are called to perform the duty that they were created for. The moment that Sorceress showed up the contract that you had with them became void. In fact, there is no reason for you to continue following them around. We could just drop you off at any little town on the way and you could make your way back to Timber to pretend that you are actually making a difference. I doubt your absence would be noted, except for the lack of headaches." The words escaped from me the way that most of them did around the little pest. Even trying to be civil didn't lessen how much she irritated me just by being here, and the whining just added to the problem

"What the hell is your problem?" She puffed up and turned a rather unattractive shade of red, reminded me a bit too much of Weasley. "You've been nothing but rude to me since you showed up clinging to the mercenaries that I hired."

"Firstly, you didn't truly hire anyone, you begged a favor from their Headmaster to have them help you with a task that you were not prepared to take on. It takes years to plan out and execute a government overthrow with a fully trained army let alone a ragtag group of civilians and some fresh out of training mercenaries." I glanced at a rather amused looking Squall. "No offense meant to the mercenaries of course."

"Secondly, I was asked to come with them, there was no clinging involved." I shrugged and leaned back before catching the princess in what most people used to call the commander stare. "I had nothing better to do at the moment and as long as that is the case I will continue to come along to see if my first impressions of SeeD were correct or if they are a necessary evil." I could practically feel the pout forming on Selphie's face but I will not simply let what threat they could present be swept under the rug.

"And just what would you do if they were what you thought?" The little princess obviously thought she was going to make me uncomfortable or make Squall and the others take her side.

"That would depend on how far they end up going, if they prove to be nothing more than hired killers I suppose that I would have to get rid of them, otherwise I would simply leave." None of the SeeDs looked surprised, Squall looked more than a little impressed. "If they manage to prove that they are truly acting for the good the planet overall than I will continue to help than in any way that I can until they no longer wish me to."

Zell threw an arm around me and almost staggered me with his weight. "We won't ever want you to leave, you're a better healer than Selphie and you more than hold your own in a fight. Heck, I haven't even heard of half of the spells that you have stocked, our professors would just love to get their hands on you."

{C}

Seifer was confused, and more than a bit pissed off. He had finally managed to find Edea, though she was no longer the motherly woman that he still remembered. When he offered himself as her faithful Knight he figured that he would finally be able to live out his dream and protect his Sorceress.

She had seemed to take to the idea at first with a slightly unnerving glint in her eyes but had changed her mind after transporting them to the capital. She told him that he was supposed to be the Knight of a more powerful Sorceress, the likes of which the world had never seen. She told him to forget about her and go to this Sorceress' side and never leave it.

His Sorceress was a male, the only male Sorceress in history. Edea made it sound like he was the catalyst of a great change. He could accept that the Sorceress for him was male, he didn't have a preference, romance was romance after all, and his Sorceress should be the most powerful one in the world. The thing that he wasn't too fond of was the fact that **his **Sorceress was traveling with that little snot-nosed brat, Squall. There is no way that he could let that little punk protect something that was his to protect, not after training everyday for so long to be worthy. It's time to call in the backup.

{C}

"Do you have a plan in place to deal with this 'problem', other than attacking a powerful woman in the middle of a public event?" I needed something to keep my mind off of the princess whining about her poor little feet.

"We are to meet up with a sharpshooter at Gabaldia Garden and continue on to the city to take out the Sorceress Edea. She had announced a parade to be held in her honor where she will announce her plans to conquer the world under Gabaldia's name." Zell sounded like he was directly quoting the orders that their bossy little teacher brought along. "Supposedly this sharpshooter will be able to take her down while we provide a distraction by blockading the float into the arch in the middle of the city."

"Exactly how are you going to determine if the woman is truly a threat if you are simply going to have her shot?"

"She has already declared herself in a position of power and has killed innocents with no remorse." Squall's voice was starting to even out in tone, he'll make a good leader someday. "We need to make sure that she cannot get enough power to make herself untouchable. I would like to be able to look into this further but I will not risk the lives of millions of women and children on the off chance that there is something good left inside of her."

"That is the difference between a leader and a soldier." I don't think many people had seen Squall blush. The teacher, Quintus, looked completely floored and more than a little bit jealous, poor thing.

{C}

Gabaldia Garden certainly gave off a very military vibe. Every student looked ready to go to war at the slightest notice and the teachers looked like they had just gotten back from one. There wasn't a single student to be seen that could match Zell or Selphie in energy. Of course that was only until we met the 'sharpshooter' that was supposed to be the best of the best.

There was something about the cowboy that raised my hackles, it was probably the constant flirting and flippant attitude, or the fact that he groped me on the way by. "Looks like traveling with your little group is going to be a lot of fun."

"It won't be if you don't learn to keep those hands to yourself." I don't like people invading my bubble, thank you very much.

"Where would the fun in that be?" The man's smile was disarming and I think that I even heard Selphie swoon. The princess was blushing and looking at everything but the cowboy. Quintus looked distinctly uncomfortable. "With so many beautiful ladies and a very beautiful man like yourself around it would be a crime not to show my appreciation."

"Show it all you want without touching, I don't like playboys." I made sure that I gave him a wide berth and stuck to Squall's side, hopefully he fixates on one of the girls, maybe Selphie could keep him entertained or he could keep the princess quiet, I don't think Quintus would know what to do with him.

{C}

Gabaldia was a city caught in nightfall, there was a hum to the air that let me know right away that powerful magic kept this whole city buried in night. The military was every bit as present here was it was in the Garden with soldiers visible on almost every corner. The princess showed her true colors as she navigated the streets with ease. "We can go to my house to wait for the parade."

The house she led us to was exactly what one would expect from a brat of her caliber, an inner city mansion with every bell and whistle one could get, including a sophisticated doorman that gave most of the group the 'stink eye'. Apparently I made his list of higher quality human and Selphie was just to bubbly to glare at. The room we ended up in was finely decorated but every bit as homey as the Burrow was to an emotionally starved twelve year old.

The man that same in shortly after us shared so many common features with the princess that there was no denying that this was her father. He made it very clear that we could wait for the parade but that his daughter was to have no part in the whole thing. He seemed slightly surprised that no one except for Rinoa had a problem with that, even Selphie agreed entirely too quickly.

{C}

It only took about an hour for me to run out of patience with the little princess going on about how she decided to forgo the luxuries of her home and defend poor little Timber. I don't really think one could say that she gave up luxuries if they had seen that train car of hers. There was plenty of time before Squall and his group were to go through with their little plan and I wasn't planning on doing anything other than watching how this 'Edea' reacted. If she really was a lost cause I might just jump in and help, but there just might be enough of whoever she was before in there to save.

I bowed out of the room before something even close to what was running through my head made it out of my mouth. Of course there was also the fact that if Irvine made one more suggestive comment I wouldn't be accountable for the damage I would inflict.

{C}

"Why isn't the sweet thing sticking around for the best part?" Irvine pitched his voice low and aimed the question at Selphie. He was having way too much fun riling the slim man up, it certainly didn't take much.

"Oh, Orion isn't a SeeD and doesn't like violence very much." Selphie looked at the door for a moment before focusing on the cowboy. "He doesn't think that its right to go after someone just because they're a Sorceress and wants to make sure that Sorceress Edea is actually a threat before he lends us any help."

"We don't know him really well but if I had to wager a guess he's probably going to find somewhere with a good vantage point and watch the whole thing from afar." Zell scratched his head and rocked back on his heels. "If he thinks that we deserve his help he'll jump in but if he doesn't think we deserve it, we probably won't see him again."

"I pegged him for a SeeD, or a soldier at least." Irvine tipped his hat back and thought about the green eyed man. "He has this presence that makes you listen and he moves like a predator. Not many civilians can pull that off."

{C}

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**Review and let me know what you think. I'm not really sure how to write Irvine or Quintus, but hopefully I won't get too far off track with them.**


	7. A Failed Plan and The Rival

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy.**

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Gabaldia was aglow with hundreds of street lights and party lights that were strung between. Walking down the street without looking up could almost convince you that it was really daylight out instead of an everlasting night. The people were every bit as bright and colorful, the women were dripping in jewels with sparkling dress, while the men wore brightly colored suits and stuck close to their partners. Every person looked like they were about to attend the party of the season and not the coming out party of an insane Sorceress. It reminded me a little too strongly of how blindly the people had followed the Ministries lead in shoving their heads into the sand about how bad things were even without Voldemort hanging over their heads. People are always ready to believe in the lie if it makes them more comfortable.

I really can't decide if what Squall and his cohorts are doing is really the right thing. The woman is unhinged, there is no doubt in my mind that she had no concept of right and wrong but it feels like there are two people in her body. One is the insane Sorceress that has a lot of anger toward everyone; she wants to make them all pay for something that happened so long ago that she can no longer punish the person that originally committed the crime. The other though, she feels like a mother, or at least what I imagine one would feel like, she wants nothing more than to watch over her loved ones and make sure that they live happy lives. The problem comes from not only not knowing which one is the correct personality for the body but which one has enough willpower to overpower the other.

(C)

Seifer was somewhat less than pleased, though not for the reasons most would expect. He had called Fuijin and Raijin to his side when he decided to find Squall and his Sorceress. He had thought that his old rival would be hard to find, hidden to protect the precious cargo he had with him, but he wasn't even trying. He was following the matron with his little groupies still trying to be good little SeeDs. He was not only trying to kill the woman that had taken care of all of them when they were children, but he was also bringing a more powerful Sorceress into danger. Squall was either being an idiot, which even Seifer had to admit was rare, or he honestly didn't know who he had. The Sorceress needed to be saved from their company before they managed to really piss off the Matron's other personality.

Fuijin trailed them from Timber and reported that they were holed out in Rinoa's room, just waiting for the parade to try to assassinate the Matron. Did they honestly think that they could just off the woman in the middle of a countries capitol in the middle of the biggest party it had seen in decades? Even if they somehow managed to kill her they would still have to contend with Gabaldia's military police and an excuse about having to kill her because she was a crazy Sorceress just wouldn't cut it. They'd be thrown in prison before they could even celebrate their success.

(C)

I don't know quite what provoked me but I found myself taking up a defensible position in view of the most vulnerable parts of the parade route. Surely they would attack at this arch; it provided the greatest chance of success. Of course even the highest chance of success was almost guaranteed to fail. A Sorceress, even the weakest of the lot, could bend the very world around them to their will. Even if she was only slightly aware of her surroundings the wind would tell her when danger was coming and not even the best sharpshooter would be able to get a bullet pass her guard. They were probably going to use the shot as a distraction and try to take the woman out in battle.

The music from the parade opening spread from one side of the city to the other and the crowd roared as the music announced the release of the float from the President's mansion. I could feel the excitement bubbling to a boiling point as people cheered and raced to find the perfect spot to see all the action. It took only a thought to find myself above the President's mansion watching the float peel slowly out of the gate and also in the perfect position to see that the little princess managed to get herself into even more trouble, the joy. She couldn't even manage to stay locked in a room properly.

(C)

Squall knew that this was probably the worst plan and it would most likely blow up in their faces but it was all they had, it wasn't like Sorceress assassination was something that came with a foolproof method of attack like dealing with a normal person or monster. There was so much that they didn't know about the situation and even more things that could go wrong.

The first part of the plan went about as smoothly as they had hoped, everyone managed to get into position without alerting the soldiers lined up at just about every street corner and Irvine was getting a good vantage point in order to start the attack. Every one of them knew that the bullet wasn't going to kill the Sorceress but they could at least hope that it would put her far enough off balance to let them penetrate her defenses.

(C)

"Did you honestly think a little bullet would be able to kill me?" The Sorceress seemed almost amused as she tossed the remains of the failed attempt off the side of the float and smiled at them all with more than a little vindictive pleasure. "It's so nice to know just how popular I am. First the magic child tries to stifle my power with her silly little trinket and now more children are here to try to end me the old fashion way." Somehow they all knew that Rinoa was the idiot that she referred to first, it wasn't really a stretch. "Are you ready to die?"

What followed was something that none of them were prepared for, not even the Sorceress. She attacked them with everything that she had from the first second of the fight, she didn't have a Knight to protect her physically so she wasn't going to let any of them get near enough to touch her with their weapons. They spent more time dodging around icicles than attacking. It took nearly twenty minutes for the first of them to start slowing down, the moment Selphie started to slow down Squall l moved toward her. Unfortunately the Sorceress noticed and kept him and Zell away with impressive accuracy for someone who had been casting for so long without a break.

A vicious smirk crossed the woman's face a moment before a barrage of ice shot across the float toward Selphie with no room for her to escape. They were all surprised by the flash of light and the appearance of none other than the Garden's Disciplinary Committee with the still alive, unfortunately, Seifer at its head. "I leave you guys alone for a little while and you almost get killed." Seifer looked around for a moment before he locked his eyes on Squall and narrowed them. "Where is the kid you picked up on the way, he was with you in the studio?"

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**Review and let me know what you think. It's a little bit choppy but things should clear up soon.**


	8. Escape Plan B

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy.**

**This chapter is choppy but its where my story is going to take the original storyline and light it on fire.**

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Squall felt his hackles rise and looked back at the Sorceress without answering Seifer. Something about the way that Seifer had asked his question made him nervous, there shouldn't be a reason for him to pay so much attention to a stranger, he never showed interest in someone or something that didn't fit in to the whole 'romantic dream' of his.

The Sorceress seemed to shake herself slightly before continuing her barrage of ice which Seifer and his two groupies took care of entirely too easy for Squall's peace of mind. "Tell me where he is." Seifer was splitting half of his attention between defending and Squall. "Were you dumb enough to lose track of him or were you smart enough to make sure he was protected before you decided to play the good little puppet?"

Squall dodged an icicle that made it past Fuijin and glared at his eternal annoyance. "Orion decided to go for a walk; he has nothing to do with this."

"In other words you lost him." Seifer seemed equal parts relieved and annoyed. "I don't know whether I'm happy that you didn't drag him into this or pissed that you just let him wander off unprotected."

"Orion is more than capable of protecting himself and he would probably be insulted if we kept him from going anywhere and everywhere that he wants to and he isn't a part of SeeD so we can't tell him what to do." Zell fired back at Seifer as he used them to get a breather. "Why the hell are you so interested in him anyway?"

"That's none of your business kid." Seifer looked back at the Matron and tried to calculate the odds of getting out of this situation in one piece, the odds were crappy. Even if they managed to outlast the Matron's spells there were still several squadrons of soldiers who were even now making their way into the arch to raise the gates. They needed a miracle.

{C}

"Well, looks like things went very wrong, very quickly." Irvine would later deny that the voice behind him caused him to jump in a very unmanly manner. "Is there an escape plan B?"

Irvine whirled around and felt his heart rate even out at the sight of Orion leaning against the chimney of the building he had chosen for his shot. "Unfortunately not sweet thing, they knew what they were getting into and that there wasn't going to be a way out either way. Win, lose or draw they were going to go down in a blaze of glory."

Orion rolled his eyes and sauntered over to the edge of the building. He looked at the archway and seemed to be judging the distance with a calculating eye. "Have you ever been squeezed through a tube the size of a straw and dropped somewhere completely random?" The grin on Orion's face was enough to cause the strongest man to curl up in a ball and cry for his mother. Irvine only had time to whine in the back of his throat before everything went tail up.

Earlier

Rinoa had wanted to prove to everyone that she was able to make a difference; she wasn't just some spoiled little girl that wanted to play the hero. Orion was just a rude little tag along that seemed to make it his life mission to make the others look down on her, but she would make them all see that she was a freedom fighter just like all those stories that she had read. All she had to do was get the Sorceress to wear the bangle and her powers would evaporate and there wouldn't even be a need to fight her.

Getting into the Sorceress' room was a lot easier than she had thought it would be, there were hardly any guards, but with a woman with as much power as the Sorceress, there probably wasn't a need to have all that much other than the door guards that she avoided on the roof. The room was odd, there were tons of sheer curtains hanging everywhere and the only furniture in the room was the chair that the Sorceress was sitting in. She crept forward with the bangle and decided to act like the star struck politician's daughter that just wanted to give her idol a gift. There was no way that this was going to fail and then Orion would have to eat his words.

{C}

Sorceress Edea was just about to send another barrage when the entire archway lit up with a light so bright that she could practically feel her eyes burning as she slammed them shut and hit the floor in case this was some distraction meant to leave her open to attack. By the time that the light cleared and she could open her eyes to look for the ingrates that attacked her; the float was empty and the human inside of her let out a sigh of relief that she quickly stifled. She would find those that had dared to stand up to her and they would pay, just like that little girl would pay further, if of course the little upstarts didn't deal with the 'future threat' she represented.

{C}

My head is going to explode, probably violently and with a lot of collateral damage. I am never going to transfer so many people without physical contact to an unknown location ever again. Next time I think I'll just jump into the middle of the battle, at least my head wouldn't feel like this. Opening my eyes just seemed to make it worse but at least wherever I managed to apparate to fell in the shadow of a mountain. Everything spun for a minute before it settled enough to make sure that everyone made it in one piece.

Squall was already up and about with his normal scowl gracing his face as he looked over for a moment before shaking a grumbling Zell and Selphie. The idiot from the studio was doing the same with a woman with an eye-patch and a male with darker skin than I've seen so far. Irvine was leaning against the tree closest to me with a shit-eating grin on his face as he checked his gun. Quintus was looking out from the little niche that we were all in, probably playing guard. Rinoa was still out like a light and no one was rushing to change that, thank magic for that.

"Ah, the gorgeous savior awakens." Irvine finished his inspection of his gun and tilted his hat up to look me straight in the eye. The others, minus princess, looked over and moved in closer. They all looked like they wanted to make sure that I was okay, thankfully they all maintained a decent distance. I don't think I could handle being manhandled right now. "Squall and Seifer over there fought for about a half hour over who was going to be waking you up sweet thing, luck for you I told them that you were the one that pulled us out of there with your mojo and you needed the shut eye." Both Squall and Seifer looked away from him and each other with a dusting of pink on their cheeks.

"I would thank you, but I don't think you need any encouragement." Irvine just smiled at me and tilted his head up a bit; at least he knows he's full of himself. "Everyone is in one piece I assume?"

They all looked themselves and each other over with Selphie doing a quick check of Rinoa before Zell spoke up. "We're all alive, so I'd consider that a major plus. What kind of spell did you use to teleport us all like that, you weren't even near us and I've never felt anything like that before."

"It wasn't exactly a spell." Here goes nothing. "I used my magic to grab all of you and pull you through space with me, I've never done it without touching the people I was taking with me but it looks like it worked well even though I couldn't see some of you."

Quintus whirled around with wide eyes as Irvine, Selphie, Zell and even Squall looked like they had been smacked with a fish. Seifer and his two groupies were suspiciously calm for people who went to this Garden. Quintus was unfortunately the one that recovered first. "You use raw magic to teleport us here?!"

"I do believe that I just said that." I leaned back slightly and sighed, I could probably sleep for a week. "You would think that the large amount of spells I use that all of you have never heard of would have been a big tip off. For a bunch of Sorceress hunters you are remarkably naïve."

Squall shook his head slightly and managed to pull off a half-smile. "You have us there. At least that explains why you decided to help us out and see if we were a threat."

"Well, self-interest makes for a wonderful motivator even if princess drives me up the wall; she'll probably be twice as irritating now." I could already feel her fledgling power fluttering around her; Edea probably infused just enough of her own power to wake up the little possibility that the princess had hiding away. She certainly knew how to make an already annoying person even more annoying. "She's got a little bit of potential inside of her, she can't be a Sorceress without another one dying but Edea did something to pull a little bit of that magic to the forefront, she'll probably have bursts of uncontrolled power that should serve to make my own power spike." I could feel a migraine settling in at the thought of how hard it would be to deal with a princess that could cast magic at will.

Seifer looked at the others for a moment before focusing back on me with a look that raised the hair on the back of my neck. "You need a Knight to ground you, I could do that for you and then you wouldn't have to worry about spikes and you wouldn't have to follow these kids around as they try to get themselves killed." The look he gave me reminded me heavily of a puppy and his lackey with the darker skin was copying the expression admirably.

"Hey now, we met him first and any one of us could ground his powers." Zell looked flustered as he tried to look intimidating with a small clump of dirt in his hair. "Why are you so interested in being his Knight, don't you want to help Rinoa in her little 'save Timber' mission?"

Seifer looked at Zell like he was a mildly irritating bug. "All of you are going to continue to try to kill the Sorceress in Gabaldia, just like the good little puppets that you are. You couldn't possibly protect Orion at the same time and if any of the Gardens found out that you were harboring a Sorceress they would demand that you turn him over so they could find a way to stifle his powers completely or kill him if they couldn't or they thought that he might try to kill an innocent." Seifer looked at Rinoa with a bit of affection but also a bit of annoyance as well. "Rinoa is someone that the Headmaster met some time ago and we spent a lot of time together, she's naïve and spoiled but her heart is mostly in the right place. I'll admit that trying to help her the way I did was reckless but I was angry that you were the ones that were sent to help her when none of you have a lick of experience when just one experienced SeeD probably could have been twice as helpful. Our training at the Garden was geared toward battles with swords, guns and magic with political warfare as a side course that wasn't even a major part of the graduation process."

"That's the most mature and well thought out response I've ever heard from you." Squall looked mildly surprised. "Did you hit your head that hard?"

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**Review and let me know what you think.**


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